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Phonological processing in late second language learners: The effects of proficiency and task*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 September 2015

ERIN JACQUELYN WHITE ,
DEBRA TITONE ,
FRED GENESEE  and
KARSTEN STEINHAUER
ERIN JACQUELYN WHITE*
Affiliation:
The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM); Montreal, Quebec
DEBRA TITONE
Affiliation:
Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM); Montreal, Quebec Department of Psychology; McGill University
FRED GENESEE
Affiliation:
Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM); Montreal, Quebec Department of Psychology; McGill University
KARSTEN STEINHAUER
Affiliation:
Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM); Montreal, Quebec School of Communication Sciences and Disorders; McGill University
*
Address for correspondence: Erin Jacquelyn White, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Childrenerin.white@sickkids.ca
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Abstract

Using event related brain potentials (ERPs), we examined the neurocognitive basis of phonological discrimination of phoneme /h/ in native English speakers and Francophone late second language (L2) learners, as a function of L2 proficiency and stimulus/task demands. In Experiment 1, native and non-native (L2 only) phonological contrasts were presented as syllables during a task that directed attention to phonological form. Phonological categorization was assessed with MMN, N2b and P3b effects. In Experiment 2, the same contrasts were presented as words/ pseudowords during a task that directed attention to semantics. Phonological discrimination was assessed with N400 pseudoword effects. High proficiency L2 learners displayed similar ERPs as native speakers in both experiments; low proficiency L2 learners showed discrimination of non-native contrasts in Experiment 1 (directed attention task) only. Thus, L2 phonological discrimination by late learners may depend on stimulus/task factors and occurs in a wider range of contexts as L2 proficiency improves.

Keywords

Second language acquisitionL2bilingualismphonological discriminationattentionautomatic processingevent-related brain potentials (ERPs)Mismatch Negativity (MMN)N2bP300P3bN400pseudoword
Type
Research Article
Information
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition , Volume 20 , Issue 1 , January 2017 , pp. 162 - 183
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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Footnotes

*

We would like to thank Masha Westerlund, Brooke Levis, Julie Mercier, Heather Goad and Jennifer Goudey for their help with various aspects of this project. This work was supported by grants awarded from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to Fred Genesee, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to Karsten Steinhauer (# RGPGP 312835 and # RGPIN 402678-11), Debra Titone (CRC/CFI project # 205844; NSERC # 204609) and Erin White (Postgraduate Scholarship), by the Canada Foundation for Innovation to Karsten Steinhauer (CRC/CFI; project # 201876) and as well as the Center for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM). This study was conducted at McGill University.

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